Compress.



PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906. A. B. LITTLE.

UUMPRESS.

APPLICATION nun DBO. 23. 1905.

A TTOHNEYS No. 831,362. .PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

A. B. LITTLE;

GOMPRESS.

APPLIUATION FILED DEG.23, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W/TNESSES: INVENTOI'? THE NORRIS PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, 11,0v

lower beams or retaining members 12 and 13,

ANSEL BLAKE TO WALTER P. ANDREWS, OF ATLANTA,

LITTLE, OF, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF GEORGIA.

COMPRESS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906..

Application filed December 23,1905. Serial No. 293,130.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANSEL BLAKE LITTLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofAtlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and mproved Compress, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to compresses, and

particularly to those adapted for the compacting of such fibrous material as cotton. Its principal objects are to provide simple and effective means for securing a convenient'bale which may be compressed to a high degree without danger of injuring the fiber.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying'drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one embodi-v ment of my invention, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section 'therethrough on the line 2 2-of ig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the machine similar to Fig. 2, but showing the elements in the other extreme position; and Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

From a foundation 10, preferably of masonry, rise uprights 11, which I prefer to form of iron, these uprights supporting upper and which may be of cast metal. Upon the foundation near its center is mounted the cylinder 14 of ahydraulic press of any desired type connected by piping, aportion of which is shown at 15, apump 16 beingincluded in this piping. Inthe cylinder operates a piston 17, carrying a platen 18. Movable over the beams 12 and 13 is a frame, which, as illustrated, comprises side bars 19 19, connected at one endby across-rod 20. In the sidebars are rotatably mounted journal portions 2 1 of pressuremembers or rolls 22, of which there are any suitable number, there being six here shown. Each of the journal portions has associated with it in the side bar an oil-reservoir 23, in which and about the journal operates a loose distributing-ring 24, this efiectively lubricating the journ 1. Fixed to each journal por tion just within the frame is a pinion 25, meshing with a rack 26, formed upon the beam 13, this engagement not only support ing the rolls and frame, but also compelling the former to rotate at adefinite speed, which is controlled by the diameter of the pinions and the rate of movement of translation of the rolls. The upward thrust of the rolls is taken by contact-rolls 27, having opposite reduced portions 28 28, projecting through slots 29 in pairs of side plates 30 30, secured to the beams 12. These slotted side plates not only serve as retaining-guides for the rolls 27, but also as guides for the frame, they depending upon each side of the sidebars and in contact therewith. The upper edges of the bars 19 and the adjacent edges of the beams 12 are corrugated transversely, while peripheries of the rolls 27 are similarly corrugated, so that as the rolls run along the bar and beam the engagement of the corrugations maintains them at a fixed distance from one another without interfering with their freedom of movement.

Extending along the frame, at each sidebetween the ends of the rolls and the pinions, are plates 31, each having a series of openings through which the roll-journals pass. From one of these plates 31 to the other between a portion of the rolls 22, here shown as the three at the right of the machine, as seen in- Fig. 2, and beyond the lowest roll at this end extend transverse plates 32. These transverse plates are enlarged at their lower edges to furnish presser-feet 33, substantially filling the spaces between the lower portions of the rolls and having their lower faces lying in the plane of the bottom element of the rolls, thus furnishing a practically continuous surface. Extending transversely of these presser-feet are series of grooves 34, with which register similar grooves 35, lying circumferentially of the rolls. These alined openings permit the introduction of tie-wires between the rolls and material upon the platen, this latter element also having grooves 35 for the same purpose. In addition to their function of supporting the presser-feet it will be seen that the plates 31 also act as shields to prevent the material from getting caught in the gearing of the rolls 22.

The frame and rolls are movableacross the platen in a direction substantially at right angles to the movement imparted to it by the hydraulic cylinder by means of a connecting-rod 36, projecting from the cross-rod 20 and articulated to a wrist-pin 37, projecting from one face of a gear 38, which is shown asof the bevel type. This gear is fast upon a shaft 39 and meshes with a pinion 40 fixed to a shaft 41, which may be driven by a suitable connection with the main gin-shaft of the system.

Supported upon the beam 12 by standards 42 1s a receiving-box 43, to which delivers a conduit 44 from a gin delivers. 46, the walls of which converge downwardly. In this chute are rotatably mounted a plurality of pairs of bat-forming rolls 47, there being three of these condenser 45, to whiclrthe while the lower chute. These rolls preferably gradually de crease in diameter from the upper to the lower pair and may be driven by a chain or belt 48 from the shaft 39. Over the boxopening from its edges to points above the upper rolls extend cut-off boards 49, which direct the material to the rolls and assist in supporting it when the feed between said rolls is stopped. The chute or the lowest of the bat-forming rolls delivers to oppositelyinclined guide members 50 50, extending between the plates 30 and converging downwardly to points above the center pair of the rolls 22, they forming a delivery-opening to the space between these rolls and being of such extent that they will receive and direct the material descending from the chute in all positions of the rolls. From the guide member above the presser-feet is an extension 51, which may lie in a substantially horizontal plane and which serves as a support for the bale-covering. It should be noted that the guide members at their outer edges shield the ticularly indicated at pinions of the rolls and the racks from entanglement with the material operated upon and the bale-covering.

In the operation of the apparatus a piece of bagging or other material suitable for covering a bale is placed u on the platen, as parin Fig. 2 of the drawings, this extending for a greater distance at one side than at the other. The platen is then raised by its hydraulic cylinder until it is in proximity to the rolls 22. The driving mechanism is now started, and the cotton passing from the condenser into the receiving box is formed into a bat B in the chute rolls and descends over he guitde members between the center pair ofrolls. Here it falls upon the platen and as the frame is reciprocated by the connectingrod is distributed in layers. The platen being subjected by the hydraulic mechanism to some predetermined pressure, this is transmitted to the layers of cotton and to the rolls 22, which serve as the pressure member opposing the platen. Simultaneously with t is application of pressure the movement of the frame causes the rolls to travel back and forth across'the accumulating material, thus ironing? it out.. This continues until the From the box depends a chute pairs here shown, the upper located just below the opening from the box, is at the extremity of the desired amount of cotton has been deposited upon the platen, when the reciprocation of the frame is stopped with the platen and its burden beneath the three rolls at the left of the guide members, as is indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Now the long end of the bagging is drawn through the space between the center pair of rolls over the guide member to the extension -51, upon which it rests. (See dotted lines in Fig. 3.) The frame is then caused to travel to its opposite extreme of movement, at which the'elements occupy the positions illustrated in Fig. 2, except that the bagging will be drawn across the top of the cotton upon the platen and pressedfirmly into coaction thereby by the rolls and presser feet. The tying of the bale may now be performed by passing the wires through the grooves in the rolls and presser-feet, thus completing the operation, at which time the descent of the platen releases the bale.

It will be seen that while my improved compress is extremely simple, with few bearings to wear, it forms a highly-desirable package, which is not liable to damage by fire or water, which takes but little room, and is easily handled. It also lays the fiber straighter than the common system of compressing and is therefore less apt to injure it.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a compress, the combination with the base, of uprights rising from the base, longitudinal beams having corrugated lower faces supported by the uprights, slotted guides depending from each side of the beams, racks below the beams and parallel therewith, a frame comprising longitudinal members having corrugated upper faces movable between the racks and the beams, corrugated rollers having journals engaging the slots of the guides arranged between the longitudinal members and the beams, transverse rollers having spaced annular grooves journaled in the frame, and provided with pinions engaging the rack-teeth, presser-feet arranged between sundry of the rollers and having grooves registering with t supported by'the base below the beams and aving a platen movable toward and from said beams, said platen having grooves corresponding in position and number to the grooves of the presser-feet, means for reciprocating the frame, and means for feeding a bat to the platen between the rollers.

2. In a compress, the combination with the base, of uprights rising from the base, longitudinal beams having corrugated lower faces supported by the uprights, slotted guides depending from each of the beams, racks below the beams and parallel therewith, a frame comprising longitudinal members movable between the racks and the beams, the upper faces of the longitudinal members being corrugated, corrugated rollers having journals engaging the slots of the guides arranged be tween the beams and the frame, spaced rollguide member movable with the pressure member, a T8C6lVl11gbOX, a chute extending therefrom toward the guide member, formers having spaced annular grooves 1ournaled ing-rolls mounted in the chute, and boards transversely 1n the frame, a press supported by the base below the beams and having a platen movable toward and from said beams, said platen having grooves corresponding in number and position to the grooves of the rollers, means for reciprocating the frame, and means for feeding a bat to the platen be tween the rollers. V

3. In a compress, the combination with a base, of uprights rising from the base, longitudinal beams having corrugated lower faces supported by the uprights, racks below the beams and parallel therewith, a frame comprising longitudinal members having corrugated upper faces movable between the racks and the beams, transverse rollers having spaced annular grooves journaled in the frame, and provided with pinions engaging the rack-teeth, a press supported by the base below the beams, and having a platen movable toward and from said beams, said platen having grooves corresponding in position and number to the grooves of the rollers, means for reciprocating the frame, and means for feeding a bat to the platenbetween the rollers.

41. In a compress, the combination with the base, of uprights rising from the base, longitudinal beams having corrugated lower faces supported by the uprights, racks below the beams and parallel therewith, a frame comprising longitudinal members having corrugated upper faces movable between the racks and the beams, corrugated rollers arranged between the longitudinal members and the beams, transverse rollers journaled in the frame, and provided with pinions engaging the rack-teeth, a press supported by the base below the beams and having a platen movable toward and from said beams, means for reciprocating the frame, and means for feeding a'bat to the platen between the rollers.

5. In a compress, the combination with the base, of uprights rising from the base, longitudinal beams having corrugated lower faces supported by the uprights, a frame comprising longitudinal members having corrugate upper faces movable below the beams, spaced rollers arranged between the beams and the longitudinal members, means for retaining said rollers in their spaced relation, space transverse rollers journaled in the frame, a press supported by the base belowthe beams and having a platen movable toward and from said beams, means for reciprocating the frame, means for positively rotating the transverse rollers, and means for feeding a bat to the platen between the rollers.

6. In a compress, the combination with a press having a platen, of a cooperating pres sure member movable across the platen, a

projecting from the box above the rolls.

7. In-a compress, the combination with the press having a platen, of spaced parallel beams above the platen, a frame movable be neath the beams above the platen, said beams and frame being provided with corrugations, pressure means carried by the frame, and corrugated rolls engaging the corrugations o the retaining member an ame.

8. In a compress, the combination with a press having sure-rolls, means for reciprocating the rolls across the platen, and guide members inclining upwardly from the rolls in opposite directions, one of said guide members having a horizontal portion at the upper end thereof above the rolls.

9. In a compress, the combination with a press having a platen, of a plurality of pressure-rolls, means for reciprocating the rolls across the platen, gearing for the rolls, and a guide member serving also as a shield for the gearing.

10. In a compress, the combination with a press having a platen, of spaced parallel beams above the platen, a frame movable beneath the beams above the laten, spaced rollers arranged between the 'rame and the beams, means for retaining said rollers in their spaced relation, and pressure means carried by the frame.

11. In a compress, the combination with a press having a platen, of a plurality of pressure-rolls, means for reciprocating the rolls across the platen and resser-feet projecting between the rolls toward the platen, the op erative faces of the resser-feet being substalmtially flush with the periphery of the ro ls.

12. In a compress, the combination with the press having a platen, of a plurality of pressure-rolls, means for reciprocating the rolls across the platen, and presser-feet projecting between and having enlargements substantially filling the spaces between the rolls on one side, the operative faces of the presser-feet being substalntially flush with the periphery of the ro s.

13. In a compress, the combination in a press having a platen, of a plurality of rotatable pressure-rolls provided with circumferential grooves, means for reciprocating the rolls across the platen, and presser-feet projecting between the rolls toward the platen and having grooves alined with those of the rolls, the operative faces of the presser-feet being substantially flush with the periphery of the rolls.

14:. In a compress, the combination with a a platen, of a plurality of pres the rolls toward the platen In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANSEL BLAKE LITTLE.

Witnesses: v

JAs. H. ALLENswoRTH, E. J. PETERSON.

press having a platen, of a plurality of rota- F table pressure-rolls provided with circuinferential grooves, means for reciprocating the rolls acrossthe platen, and presser-feet pro- 5 jecting between the rolls toward the platen and having grooves alined with those on the rolls. 

